Metal stitching machine



Nov. 21, 1939. w. o. slMs i 2,180,484

METAL STITGHING' MACHINE Fiie'd Dec. 2l, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY 5 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATI-:s PATENT oFFicaf METAL s'rrrcnmGMAcnnvE William O. Sims, Niagara Falls, N. Y., asslgnor to Harris-Seybold-Potter Company, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware' Cleveland,

Application necembezi, 1936, serial No. 116,851

6 Claims.

' This invention relates to improvements in metal stitching machines, that is to say machines for driving wire staples. and has reference principally to the clinching of the staples.

One of the objects of the invention isthe provision of movable clinching lelements which shall have very small vertical dimensions beneath the work, thereby making possible the stitching together oi parts which it would be impracticable to handle on machines of this general character heretofore built.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel clincher operating means.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear 'as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodyins` my invention. 1

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger` scale of a fragment of the stitcher head andthe stantially on the line II`-I I of Fig. 4, but on a i larger scale.v

Figs. 12 and 13 are'plan views of two clincher bars used in connection with the invention, and

Figs. 14 and 15 are elevational views of the bars shown in Figs. 12 and 13, respectively. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated a stitching -machine 'which is more or less conventional in general re spects. It comprises a base I0, a column II, a stitching head I2 .with a roll of wire I3 from which the staples are cut and formed in the head, a

shaft I4 by means of which the stitcher is driven,

a large gear I5 with a clutch I6, a clutch actuatingrod I1 for connecting the gear I5 to shaft; Il, an electric motor 9'for driving the gear I5, and

an arm -I8 which carries the-staple' clinching means. As indicated herein the rod I'I may be movedv'longitudinally through 'suitable lever mechanism in the base Ill by means of a foot pedal I9 against the action of a coil spring 20. The arm I3 is mountedtohave aiimited swinging adjustment around a pivotal connection 2i between the arm and the head frame 22, and in 'order to adjust the arm I8 with nicety it is formed to include a depending' ear 23 through which a screw 24 is threaded so as to bear against 'a'at front surface 4of the frame member 22.

The structural features above described are wellknown in the art. and no more detailed reference' to them or their mode of operation is deemed necessary. The present invention has to do primarily with staple clinching meansa'nd operating mechanism therefor. The arm I8 at its forward end has a downwardly o'set or depressed platform 25. Upon-this platform are supported a pair of clincher bars or levers '26 and 2l that are pivotally mounted upon the' smooth upper portion of a post 23 which has a smallerdiameter thread'- ed lower end extending through a vertical bore in the arm I8 and receiving a nut 29 on its extremity by means of which the shoulder between the larger and smaller portions of the post is pulled down tightly against the platform 25. A large head 33 on the post holds'the bars 26 and 21 down in proper relation to each other and to the platform.

By reference to Figs. 12

25 t0 15 inclusiv'eit Will be apparent that bar 26 has a thick central portion 3I in which is formed a depression 32 which.

receives the central part 33 of the bar 2l. Holes 34 -and 35 which receive the post 28 are formed centrally in the parts 32 and 33 of the bars. These bars therefore resemble a pair of pliers, except that the ends which would correspond with the handle ends of pliers must be separated in order to kbring lthe jaws or clinching elements to- The rear endsl of the bars 26 and 21 are drilled and threaded to receive from below the threaded constricted ends of screws 36. These screws have smooth Shanks 31 and heads 38 uponwhich are rotatably mounted rollers 39. The screws 36 are also drilled and 'tapped to receive the threadedv upper ends of posts Il i. These posts project downwardly throughv curved slots 6I in the platform 25, and the two lower extremities of the posts are connected bya coil spring l2 which extends through hol 43 in the side wa1ls.of the arm I8. The rollers 39 are therefore drawntoward each other normally to maintain the jaws or clinching elements 44 separated, as indicated in Figs. 4 and B of 'the drawings.

' In the upper part of the' arm I8 there is a guide groove 45 in which is mounted a slide 46.4 At its forward 'end `this slide vextends beneath and enl sages the lower surface oi' a cover plate 41 which with the top of that post, as shown in Fig. 2.

Near its rear end the slide 46 is held against upward movement by a narrow plate 8 that is fastened to the side walls of the arm by screws or other fasteners. The forward end of the slide i64 is bored and counterbored to take the shank 49 of a depending button 50. The upper end of this shank is riveted into the counterbore to make the button 50 a rigid part of the slide. When the slide is moved rearwardly this button serves to spread apart the rollers 39 on the two bars-28 and 21.

Reciprocation of the slide 46 is effected by the rotation of shaft I4 which operates the mechanism in the stitching head. In the rear extremity of slide d6 there is a slot 5I into which projects the upper end of a lever 52 which is mounted to turn upon a pivot 53. A second lever 5S that is principally horizontal is also mounted to turn on the pivot 53 directly adjacent the lever 52. 'I'he lower end of lever 52 beyond the pivot is drilled and threaded to receive a set screw 55 which projects through a curved slot 55 in lever 54.A

'I'hese two levers may be thereby secured together, and may be adjusted angularlywith respect to each other to a limited extent. The rear end of lever 5d is offset laterally to bring it into the same plane with lever 52. This rear end extends into a slot 51 in a vertical connecting rod 58. This connecting rod at its upper end has fixed therein a pivot pin 59 upon which a roller 60 is mounted to turn, the roller being retained in place on the pivot by a removable head 6|. Roller 88 is moved downwardly by a cam 62 which is rigidly mounted upon or integral with the clutch element i6, keyed to shaft I4. When the clutch is in engagement this element I6 is driven by the cooperating clutch element which is fixed against rotation with respect to the constantly rotating gear l5. The

necting rod. Lever 5.2 is urged toward forward inoperative position by a coil spring 64, andthe pull from the spring is transmitted through lever 54 to connecting rod 58 to hold roller 80 against the face of cam 62.

Operation.-With respect. to the operation of the clinching means, reference should be had` particularly to Figs. 8 and 11 inclusive. As illustrative of a special type of work which this machine is capable of performing, I have shown in Fig. 1l a cross section of a piece of molding W used in automobile bodies. The jaws of clinching bars 28 and 21- project readily into the narrow space between the sides of the molding. The strip W represents insulation material which is -to be attached to the molding by metal stitches.

It will be understood that a suitable length of wire is cut from the coil of wire I3 by mecha-v nism in the stitcher head, then bent into U-form, and then driven downwardly through the molding W and insulationW.

shown at S in the drawings. When it is driven through the work the j aws 44 are positioned as l in Fig.- 8, so as to lclear -the legs of the staple while at the same time affording a support for the work to take the force of the staple driving blow. The position of the cam 52 on the clutch This U-shaped staple is is driven the slide I8 begins to move rearwardly, I

spreading apart 'the rear ends 'of the bars 26 and 21 and causing the inner corners of the jaws 4l to bend the legs of the staple toward each other, as illustratedv in Fig. 9. This movement continues until the high` point of the cam 52 is reached, at which point the jaws 44 are practically together and the legs of the staple are folded. in tightly y against the work, as illustrated in Fig. l0. The

work is then moved along to the position for the next stitch, the operators foot being held upon the pedal I9 in the meantime. The stitching and clutching action may be discontinued at any time by the mere release of the pedal i9, as will be readily understood, or if preferred the pedal I9 may be momentarily depressed for each stitch that is to be formed and driven.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a stitching machine, means for driving a staple in a vertical plane, clinchers arranged normally to support the work just beyond the legs of the staple as the latter is being driven, two horizontal bars upon the forward ends of which said clinchers are mounted, said bars being supported exclusively at points removed from their forward ends and means for actuating said bars for moving the clinchers thereafter toward each other for clinching the legs of the staple.

2. In a stitching machine, means for driving a staple vertically, a pair of levers pivotally mounted to swing horizontally and provided with clinching surfaces on the\forward extremities thereof arranged normally outside of the position of the driven staple and adapted to' swing toward and away from each other, said levers constituting the sole support for the work, said levers having their pivot points 'to the rear of their work engaging portions, means acting upon the rear portions of the levers -to take the load imposed by the driving of the staple, and means for actuating said levers to cause said clinching surfaces to approach each other and clinch the drivenstaple.

3. In a stitching machine', means for driving a staple in a given plane, a pair of clincher elements pivotally mounted to swing ina plane normal to said first named plane, a roller on each of said clincher elements, and reciprocatingmeans acting against said rollers to force the clincher elements toward each other for clinching the legs of the staple.

4. In a stitching machine, a stitching head, an arm positioned therebeneath, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said armato swing in a horizontal plane, the forward ends of said levers constituting clinchers working horizontally beneath the stitching head, rollers on the rear ends of said levers and a slide in said arm reciprocable in synchronism with actuation of the stitching head and provided with wedging means to engage said rollers for swinging said levers to effect a clinching of the staple. J

5. In a stitching machine, a stitching head, an arm positioned therebeneath, means in said head for driving a staple in a vertical plane, clinchers arranged normally to support the work just beyond the legs of the staple as the latter is being driven, two horizontal bars pivotally connected together intermediate their ends carrying said clinchers at their forward ends,`said bars being supported exclusively at points removed from their forward ends, means for actuating said bars to move the clinchers toward each .other for clinching the legs of the staple and a cover plate carried by the arm above the horizontal bars rearwardly of their pivotal connection adapted synchronism with actuation of the stitching head j and provided'with wedsing means to engage said rollers forV swingingthe levers to eect a clinching of' the staple, and a cover plate carried by the arm above the levers rearwardly of their piv otal mounting adapted to prevent upward move- V .ment of the rear ends of thetlevers during the staple driving operation.

WILLIAM o. sms. 

